


No Greater Gift

by Sablehaven



Category: Night at the Museum (Movies)
Genre: Animals, Christmas, Fluff, Gen, Kinda, Larry can be a bit slow, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-06 14:43:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4225806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sablehaven/pseuds/Sablehaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beloved pets simply aren't meant to be separate from their masters, so when Larry learns that Ahkemrah's rather.. unique pet is in the London Museum, he can't let that stand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Greater Gift

It was Christmas at the museum again, and Larry had been planning this present for a very, very long time. It all went back to that night eight months ago, when Teddy had mentioned his old dog...

 

_"Dogs are pretty cool. I've always wanted a cat though. They aren't as high maintenance." Nick said from his perch on the desk. Larry bit back a comment on exactly how high maintenance cats could be. From his experience, cats required more patience than dogs ever would._

_Instead, he chose to pipe in about his one and only pet experience that didn't end in disaster. "I used to own two rats, they were cool. Ate everything. Including their house.."_

_Nick giggled at the reminder of the two rats he'd heard so many stories about. God only knew what Larry had expected, naming one of them Loki. The little demon had almost rivaled Dexter for causing trouble._

_Sacajawea chuckled and added her own story. "Lewis and Clark had a Newfoundland.. Seaman. He was a loyal dog. It is unfortunate the museum didn't include him in the display."_

_Larry nodded and made a note to ask the two about the dog. Then Nick seemed to notice something, perking up and swiveling in the direction of a certain young pharaoh._

_"What about you Ahk? Did you have any pets."_

_Ahkmenrah hesitated, and Larry found himself suddenly very, very nervous._

_"I did have one.." Nick stared at Ahk expectantly and Larry awaited with growing dread._

_What kind of pet was normal for a Egyptian pharaoh? Cats were popular right? And maybe snakes? Couldn't be worse than a cobra. Could it?_

_"A cheetah.. Aneksi." Larry choked._

_"A- A cheetah!" He all but squawked. So, so much worse than a cobra. But Ahkmenrah merely nodded, used to these overreactions Larry had to historical lifestyles._

_"Yes, she was a present from my sister the day it was announced that I would inherit the throne. She was intended for protection, but ended up more of a pet than a guardian."_

_Larry forced himself to take a deep breath and considered Ahk for a moment. He seemed almost.. sad. Larry bit his lip._

_There was no way. There was no way in Hell he was actually going to do this. Even if he did try, McPhee wouldn't allow it._

_But Larry did try. And McPhee did approve of it. Kids liked animals he said. It would draw more attention. Especially an animal like a cheetah displayed as a pet. And so, Larry went to work._

_Slowly but surely drawing more and more information about this Aneksi from Ahk. Finally, he got the solid facts. She'd been buried with him. And that was all Larry needed. He tracked her back to the museum in England and, over the next couple of months, pulled a few strings to get her sent to the New York._

 

Just in time for Christmas.

Larry took a deep, uncertain breath and glanced nervously down at the cheetah at his side. She stood there at his heel, occasionally rumbling low in her throat, but didn't pull on the leash he had in his hand.

Around her neck she had a gold collar, ancient and pounded thin and wide. The leash Larry clutched nervously wasn't nearly as ancient. He'd bought it for thirty dollars at the local pet store, extremely sturdy leather. Just in case she wasn't as well behaved as Ahk had described.

Though so far.. she seemed to understand what she needed to do. She just stood there, after the initial aggression when she'd first woken up. She nearly had her claws into him before he got the door closed. But after she calmed down, she'd just let him clip the leash on and lead her into this room. And beyond that door, was Ahkmenrah, about to be led through by Teddy.

Those whole eight months, it had felt like a fantastic, if insane plan. Now? Now it just seemed like he had a extremely dangerous animal on a leash six inches away from him. And it was growling.

Then, the door swung open and the time for nerves was gone.

"What exactly is this about Ted-"

The look on Ahkmenrah's face when he saw his old pet? So worth all the trouble.

"La- Larry? Is that.." He grinned and nodded, before sliding forward a few inches with a surprised grunt as Aneksi lunged forward all the sudden. He barely had time to drop the leash before she broke free and launched herself at Ahk.

Larry grinned broadly at the delighted laughter as that gigantic, terrifying cat began to purr like an engine as she pinned Ahk to the ground and nuzzled him.

Teddy clapped him on the shoulders. "Well done lad. Well done."

Eventually the laughter drew the attention of everyone else. Jed and Octavius slowly stepped back through the door once they got a look at the cat. Nick just gaped. Because yeah.. he'd kept it a complete secret. Only Teddy had been in on it.

"Uh.. dad.. you got him a cheetah?"

Larry frowned. Said like that.. it did seem like he had maybe gone a little overboard. But hey, people should never be separated from their pets. Especially ones as co-dependent as these two. After all, that cat had never spent more than an hour in her life without Ahkmenrah. Something about her training requiring it.

Larry cast the thought aside as Ahk stumbled back to his feet and gave the cheetah a pat on the head before tackling Larry with one of his most enthusiastic hugs to date.

Definitely worth the trouble.

  
**Epilogue**  
  
  


Life became.. let's say interesting, after getting Ahk his old pet back. It took everyone a while to get used to the one hundred and thirty pound animal stalking the halls at Ahkmenrah's heels. And she did. The beast never left his side, always lounging at his feet or trotting by his side. And then there was the growling.

Ahk swore she didn't mean any harm, but Larry found it hard to trust an animal that let out a low rumble every time he came near. She just always sounded like she wanted to eat him. Like she was just watching and waiting for him to step far enough out of line to justify eating him.

It took the miniatures a while to grow accustomed to her, but they did. Faster than Larry did anyways. But soon enough they were climbing up and down the fur of her legs to sit on her back or hanging onto her tail and screaming as she whipped it back and forth.

Ahk seemed amused by the endless amount of entertainment the giant cat provided them.

Even Teddy grew to like her, after confirming that she wouldn't try to eat Texas. Ahkmenrah said she'd been trained to leave horses and camels alone and so the friendship between her and Teddy began. Sacajawea had helped that trust build. She'd never been afraid of Aneksi.

Nick grew to like her even faster than Teddy had. He was braver than Larry was in many ways, and those first years in the Museum as a young and impressionable preteen had taught him to accept impossible, wonderful things. Like a tame cheetah. Not exactly impossible, but certainly not normal.

In the end, three months past before Larry couldn't avoid her any longer. Or rather, couldn't avoid Ahkmenrah any longer. Hell has no fury like a seriously irate and slightly hurt pharaoh.

"She's not as bad as she seems Larry. She didn't even attack someone when she was supposed to. I don't know why you are so afraid of her! If she didn't eat Kahmunrah she's not going to bother with you."

Larry tried not to flinch as Ahk glared at him. And yes. Actually glaring, he'd never really seen Ahk do that. It served as a grave reminder that the man had been a Pharaoh once. As if the cheetah didn't do that job well enough.

And speaking of cheetah. She was there. Standing on top of the desk in the security office and rumbling low in her throat.

"If she-" Larry cleared his throat nervously "-she doesn't want to eat me.. why does she keep making that noise."

Ahk turned over to her, seemingly startled at the question. Like he'd forgotten that a growling animal is scary to most people. But what Ahkmenrah said next was considerably more surprising.

"Larry.. she's purring."

Larry choked. Ahk continued to stare at him with a exasperated but patient expression as he regained his breath. "No. No way. That isn't.. that wasn't the noise she made when she was purring." Aneksi gave him a look he found hard to interpret as anything other than just as pained and exasperated as her owner.

Ahk sighed and reached over to scratch the cheetah behind one ear. She arched her head into his hand and rumbled. Then the rough sound evened out and softened into what was unmistakably.. a purr.

"She's a cheetah Larry. They aren't like lions and tigers. She doesn't roar, and she doesn't growl. When she's aggressive, she's going to sound more like a house cat."

Larry stared at her, more uncertain now than ever. Then he took a hesitant step forward. And another. Then he reached out with one trembling hand, and laid it on her back. She didn't try to eat him.

Larry let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding and gave Ahk a disbelieving look. He just looked amused. "Not so scary up close, is she?" He asked mildly.

Larry smiled and Aneksi purred. Maybe she really wasn't as bad as she seemed.

Things changed after that, now that Larry was no longer terrified to come within five feet of Ahkmenrah. And it turns out that a cheetah lying at Larry's feet was something even Dexter respected. And yeah, the cheetah slept next to him sometimes. When Ahk was near by and occupied with something else. Like whatever book he'd gotten his hands on recently. How anyone could read a five hundred page book in two days, Larry didn't know.

But life was good. Aneksi respected the other residents of the museum, even the animals. Though sometimes Larry got the feeling she was waiting for some command or another. He'd have to ask Ahk if she'd gotten any kind of hunting training. She certainly acted like it.

She and Rexy got along well. Maybe a bit too well sometimes. Death from above takes on a whole new meaning when you are getting stalked by a cheetah that is perched on the back of a T-Rex. At least the worst she ever did was nibble.

And during the day, Aneksi had her own sarcophagus, placed just below Ahkmenrah's. In the position of a guardian. People loved the decorations on it, and the story behind her. If rumors and vague implications were to be believed, she'd torn out Kahmunrah's throat herself, in revenge for her fallen master.

And looking at her now, watching Ahkmenrah through half lidded eyes, Larry could imagine it. Aneksi was an intelligent, savage, devoted animal after all. Larry could imagine her knowing exactly who was to blame for Ahkmenrah's death.

Because she never stopped watching. Never stopped waiting for someone to step out of line. Even when dozing in Larry or Ahk's lap, she came awake at the slightest sound. And honestly? Larry didn't mind. Too much had gone wrong for him to not welcome that extra protection.

But as long as everything was well, she slept and purred, stretched out on the couch between the two of them.


End file.
